Playing the Long Game As a Parent
“The Lord is… longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” – 2 Peter 3:9 Stop and think about God’s kindness in patiently waiting for you to come to Him in salvation, realizing...
From Good to Godly: The Power of Small Shifts
“I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” -Psalm 139:14 As I tucked one of our toddlers in bed this past week, I used an often repeated phrase in our home, “God made you so beautiful.” In that moment, God reminded me that a small difference...
Raising Contented Kids in a “More, More, More” World
“Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.” Proverbs 27:20 Ever noticed that whatever you want in any given moment has the potential to become amplified as your greatest singular need? Extreme thirst (even food...
Evaluating Your Parenting: 5 Questions for a Fresh Start
Happy New Year! The start of a new year is a great time to re-evaluate your life and your goals. Many people do it, and for good reason. But oftentimes those goals are centered primarily around personal things like health, work, new accomplishments, etc. But what if...
Running on Fumes and Faith (Mom’s faith & God’s faithfulness)
Is it just me, or do other adults find a full tank of gas to be an amazing feeling too? There’s something about going from empty to full that brings a smile to my heart. Maybe it’s because I can remember routine gas station stops with my mom as a kid, when...
Making Your Christmas More “Wonder”, Less “Full”
Less than two weeks until Christmas! It’s that time for lots of shopping, parties, food, and of course, who can forget the in-laws (rhetorical question in case you were wondering)? It’s the most busiest, I mean, wonderful, time of the year. And sometimes it can seem...
Love the life you have. Create the life you want.
I hope your family had an amazing Thanksgiving last week. Ours did, and it was a great reminder of just how blessed we are. All of our kids were home, including many more that we call family. This past weekend brought to mind an important but easily forgotten...
Faith Habits That Last a Lifetime
“Jesus? Jesus?”… said our two year old, as she pointed at her toothbrush on the bathroom counter. For the longest time, she struggled to let us brush her teeth at night. But for the last month, since I started singing “Jesus Loves Me” to her while brushing her teeth,...
Why Won’t My Kids Listen? (3 reasons they tune you out)
“I’m going to count to three, and if you don’t obey, you’re going to be in big trouble.” “If you don’t stop teasing your sister, you’re not going to get dessert for the next year.” “Why can’t they listen to me the first time? They only obey once I raise my voice.” Is...
Replace the Bad With the Good
“Parenting forward” (focusing on training more than correction) is a huge win for Christian parents. Last week, we talked about one of the best ways to do this: train your kids when they’re NOT in trouble. Use those small, everyday moments to speak...
Train Before Trouble Strikes
Teach them diligently unto thy children… when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way. -Deuteronomy 6:7 Many parents find themselves perpetually frustrated with their kids… “Will they ever learn?”… “Why can’t they just listen?”… etc. ...
What Does It Mean to Parent Forward?
Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it. -Proverbs 22:6 Last week, we talked about the importance of training over just correction. It’s interesting that the verse above doesn’t say to correct a child in the...
Shift From Correction to Training
Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it. -Proverbs 22:6 I can remember a season when we had reached a point of parenting frustration… “This kid just won’t listen!” Ever feel completely stuck in your parenting? You’re...
Don’t Protect Your Kids From Hard Things
Since my boys were young, they’ve all helped me mow lawns over the years. They’ve learned how to cut the grass, weed eat, clean out the mowers, and change the oil, etc. But when I asked my 15-year-old son to weed-eat recently, he said, “Sure, but I’ve never done that...Want the free weekly goods & a gift?
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